CleanTechnica » Science http://cleantechnica.com Clean Tech News & Views: Solar Energy News. Wind Energy News. EV News. & More. Tue, 30 Dec 2014 18:48:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1 Photovoltaics Discovered In 1875: Interview With Author John Perlin http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/27/photovoltaics-discovered-1875-interview-author-john-perlin/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/27/photovoltaics-discovered-1875-interview-author-john-perlin/#comments Sat, 27 Dec 2014 08:30:22 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76851 This CleanTechnica miniseries about photovoltaics, celebrating the UN’s 2015 Year of Light, is the fourth article of seven. We continue our dialogue with physicist John Perlin, author of Let It Shine: The 6000-Year Story of Solar Energy. Perlin’s expertise on the subject provides an excellent archive for any person wishing to keep abreast of today’s

Photovoltaics Discovered In 1875: Interview With Author John Perlin was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/27/photovoltaics-discovered-1875-interview-author-john-perlin/feed/ 1 Average US Car Now Older, Resulting In More Air Pollution http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/26/average-us-car-now-older-resulting-air-pollution/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/26/average-us-car-now-older-resulting-air-pollution/#comments Fri, 26 Dec 2014 09:18:53 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76610 Researchers at the University of Denver found that the US on-road freeway fleet age increased due to the global recession from 2008–2010. To put it simply, because consumers had less money available to purchase new vehicles, they hung on to the ones they owned, thus increasing the average age of vehicles being driven today. There

Average US Car Now Older, Resulting In More Air Pollution was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/26/average-us-car-now-older-resulting-air-pollution/feed/ 3 Tar Sands Companies Potential Climate Change Emissions Increased Five Times http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/23/tar-sands-companies-potential-climate-change-emissions-increased-five-times/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/23/tar-sands-companies-potential-climate-change-emissions-increased-five-times/#comments Tue, 23 Dec 2014 14:55:05 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76385 As if we needed any more convincing of how harmful pollution from tar sands oil production is, a new finding has indicated that the potential climate change emissions have increased by 5 times for the top 20 public companies working in that sector. Processing tar sands produces quite a bit more greenhouse gas emissions compared

Tar Sands Companies Potential Climate Change Emissions Increased Five Times was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/23/tar-sands-companies-potential-climate-change-emissions-increased-five-times/feed/ 5 EV Battery Experts Discuss Battery Costs & More (Interesting Video Discussion) http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/21/ev-battery-costs-battery-experts-video/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/21/ev-battery-costs-battery-experts-video/#comments Sun, 21 Dec 2014 20:53:43 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76694 Today is clearly a video catchup day for me. This last one of the day is a super interesting discussion about electric vehicle (EV) batteries. It includes the CEO of LG Chem (which provides EV batteries to GM for the Chevy Volt and Renault for its electric vehicles, as well as others), Prabhakar Patil; the

EV Battery Experts Discuss Battery Costs & More (Interesting Video Discussion) was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/21/ev-battery-costs-battery-experts-video/feed/ 41 JB Straubel Interviews & Presentations http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/21/jb-straubel-interviews-presentations/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/21/jb-straubel-interviews-presentations/#comments Sun, 21 Dec 2014 19:32:29 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76691 Following up on the Elon Musk interviews and videos I shared earlier today, I’ve also got a couple of great ones featuring Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel, who I think really doesn’t get enough credit for his brilliance and passion. The Economist Here’s a great quote buried in an article in The Economist for which JB Straubel was

JB Straubel Interviews & Presentations was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/21/jb-straubel-interviews-presentations/feed/ 1 4 Elon Musk Interviews, Tons of Awesome Quotes http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/21/elon-musk-interviews-quotes/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/21/elon-musk-interviews-quotes/#comments Sun, 21 Dec 2014 16:38:17 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76673 I’ve been saving up a number of Elon Musk interviews for awhile but haven’t been able to get to them. So, now I’m getting to them all at one time. Below are links to the full interviews, or videos of the interviews when they were videotaped, but I’ve also gone ahead and pulled out some of

4 Elon Musk Interviews, Tons of Awesome Quotes was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/21/elon-musk-interviews-quotes/feed/ 30 Least Financially Risky Electricity Projects: Solar & Wind http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/20/solar-wind-power-financial-risk/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/20/solar-wind-power-financial-risk/#comments Sun, 21 Dec 2014 00:38:35 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76656 David Roberts of Grist recently dug into a couple of academic papers on the topic of cost overruns in the electricity sector. I had been saving the story for someone from our team to cover… but no one was picking it up, so I decided to do so a bit midnight (here in Europe) on this Saturday before Christmas. (You

Least Financially Risky Electricity Projects: Solar & Wind was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/20/solar-wind-power-financial-risk/feed/ 19 Mercedes S 500 PHEV Slashes Lifecycle CO2 Emissions Up To 56% http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/19/mercedes-s-500-phev-slashes-lifecycle-co2-emissions-56-compared-s-500/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/19/mercedes-s-500-phev-slashes-lifecycle-co2-emissions-56-compared-s-500/#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2014 13:11:44 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76558 The Mercedes S 500 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) can lower the user’s full-lifecycle CO2 emissions by up to 56% as compared against the gas-powered version of the S 500, according to the life cycle assessment environmental certificate awarded by TÜV SÜD. The figure of 56% refers to the emissions cut when the Mercedes S

Mercedes S 500 PHEV Slashes Lifecycle CO2 Emissions Up To 56% was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/19/mercedes-s-500-phev-slashes-lifecycle-co2-emissions-56-compared-s-500/feed/ 0 99% Of Seabirds Avoid Collision With Offshore Wind Farms http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/18/99-seabirds-avoid-collision-offshore-wind-farms/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/18/99-seabirds-avoid-collision-offshore-wind-farms/#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2014 11:10:15 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76524 The wind turbine has received some of the most heated and angry opposition any technology has had to endure in many years, and as we continue to study the effects of wind turbines and wind farms as a whole, we continue to discover that all of this negative attention has been misplaced. Two recent studies

99% Of Seabirds Avoid Collision With Offshore Wind Farms was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/18/99-seabirds-avoid-collision-offshore-wind-farms/feed/ 22 MEDOW Looks To Develop A European Wind ‘Super Grid’ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/18/medow-looks-develop-european-wind-super-grid/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/18/medow-looks-develop-european-wind-super-grid/#comments Thu, 18 Dec 2014 11:01:28 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76522 A group of EU-funded researchers are investigating the development of a pan-European “super grid” specifically designed to transfer wind-generated electricity across EU Member States. According to the European Commission, such a project would “bring more renewable energy into homes and businesses, help reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and enable Europe to move closer towards achieving

MEDOW Looks To Develop A European Wind ‘Super Grid’ was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/18/medow-looks-develop-european-wind-super-grid/feed/ 5 The Pathway To Today’s Solar Revolution: Discovering The Photosensitivity Of Selenium http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/17/pathway-todays-solar-revolution-discovering-photosensitivity-selenium/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/17/pathway-todays-solar-revolution-discovering-photosensitivity-selenium/#comments Wed, 17 Dec 2014 10:17:07 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76454 This article is the launch of a CleanTechnica miniseries with physicist John Perlin, focusing on the discovery of photosensitivity. Our dialogue is based on Perlin’s book, Let It Shine: The 6000-Year Story of Solar Energy. For any person wishing to keep abreast of today’s solar revolution, Perlin’s expertise on the subject provides an excellent archive. And as

The Pathway To Today’s Solar Revolution: Discovering The Photosensitivity Of Selenium was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/17/pathway-todays-solar-revolution-discovering-photosensitivity-selenium/feed/ 0 New Tandem Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cell Efficiency Record Set By PhD Student http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/17/new-tandem-thin-film-silicon-solar-cell-efficiency-record-set-phd-student/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/17/new-tandem-thin-film-silicon-solar-cell-efficiency-record-set-phd-student/#comments Wed, 17 Dec 2014 08:58:31 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76445 A new tandem thin-film silicon solar cell efficiency record was recently set by a PhD student at TU Delft by the name of Hairen Tan. The new record conversion efficiency of 14.8% was achieved via the use of a variety of “innovative techniques” for which Tan was awarded the Young Research Award at the 6th

New Tandem Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cell Efficiency Record Set By PhD Student was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/17/new-tandem-thin-film-silicon-solar-cell-efficiency-record-set-phd-student/feed/ 1 Wind Farms Affect Neither Health Nor Property Values http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/10/wind-farms-affect-neither-health-property-values/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/10/wind-farms-affect-neither-health-property-values/#comments Wed, 10 Dec 2014 08:28:40 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=76157 More than any other renewable energy technology, wind farms have encountered heated opposition based solely on the absurd: They affect our health; They impact property values; They look ugly (this one being somehow a valid argument in some countries). However, two new studies have found that wind farms do not affect health or property values (those

Wind Farms Affect Neither Health Nor Property Values was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/10/wind-farms-affect-neither-health-property-values/feed/ 4 $235 Billion = Annual Cost Of Air Pollution In EU http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/06/235-billion-cost-air-pollution-eu/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/06/235-billion-cost-air-pollution-eu/#comments Sat, 06 Dec 2014 18:30:46 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=75516 The European Environment Agency published a report recently stating that air pollution cost the EU up to $235 billion for the year 2012. Most of this air pollution is generated by coal-fired power plants. (In the US, the cost of coal-based pollution has been estimated to be $500 billion, but that goes beyond air pollution.)

$235 Billion = Annual Cost Of Air Pollution In EU was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/06/235-billion-cost-air-pollution-eu/feed/ 8 The Oldest Solar Device in the World http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/04/just-found-oldest-solar-device-world/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/04/just-found-oldest-solar-device-world/#comments Thu, 04 Dec 2014 11:30:56 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=73079 This story on the oldest solar device is part of an overall series of articles by author John Perlin that provides entertaining and readable information on the history of solar energy. They were originally published on Green Building Elements. For those who want to know more, read his book! It is well worth the time investment. Special

The Oldest Solar Device in the World was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/04/just-found-oldest-solar-device-world/feed/ 18 Win A Solar Panel Installation For Your Home! http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/01/home-solar-panel-installation-sweepstakes/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/01/home-solar-panel-installation-sweepstakes/#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2014 10:30:42 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=75689 Ah, how I hope one of our wonderful CleanTechnica readers wins this one! SunPower*, one of the world’s top solar companies (and one of my absolute favorites), is running a sweepstakes in which a lucky homeowner in California, New York, Hawaii, Arizona, or Colorado can win a home solar panel installation worth $16,000. There’s not much

Win A Solar Panel Installation For Your Home! was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/01/home-solar-panel-installation-sweepstakes/feed/ 5 WHO Report: Climate Change To Cause 250,000 “Extra Deaths” A Year By 2030 http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/30/report-climate-change-cause-250000-extra-deaths-year-2030/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/30/report-climate-change-cause-250000-extra-deaths-year-2030/#comments Sun, 30 Nov 2014 10:30:13 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=75654 Climate change will be the cause of roughly 250,000 “extra” deaths a year by 2030, according to a recent report from the World Health Organization quantifying the future impacts of the changing climate on human health. Of this figure, roughly 48,000 will be via diarrhea; 60,000 via malaria; 95,000 via under-nutrition during childhood; and 38,000

WHO Report: Climate Change To Cause 250,000 “Extra Deaths” A Year By 2030 was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/30/report-climate-change-cause-250000-extra-deaths-year-2030/feed/ 10 Climate Change Geoengineering Is No Quick Fix http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/28/climate-change-geoengineering-quick-fix/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/28/climate-change-geoengineering-quick-fix/#comments Fri, 28 Nov 2014 15:59:55 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=75537 In a world where the renewable energy solution to climate change is a problem bogged down in politics and economics, geoengineering can sometimes look like the perfect solution. As the University of Leeds puts it, “deliberate, large-scale intervention in the Earth’s climate system” sounds wonderful — especially if it bypasses the need to do any

Climate Change Geoengineering Is No Quick Fix was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/28/climate-change-geoengineering-quick-fix/feed/ 7 Hybrid Energy Systems Key To Future Of Renewable Energy http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/27/hybrid-energy-systems-key-future-renewable-energy/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/27/hybrid-energy-systems-key-future-renewable-energy/#comments Thu, 27 Nov 2014 10:54:47 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=75520 As the spread of renewable energy generation continues and countries expand to allocate more resources to increasing the overall percentage of renewable energy generation capacity, more stability will be required to ensure that such technologies like wind and solar aren’t as reliant upon specific weather conditions. In line with this thinking, a new report has

Hybrid Energy Systems Key To Future Of Renewable Energy was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/27/hybrid-energy-systems-key-future-renewable-energy/feed/ 1 Global Carbon Neutrality Should Be Reached By Mid-To-Late Century http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/20/global-carbon-neutrality-reached-mid-late-century/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/11/20/global-carbon-neutrality-reached-mid-late-century/#comments Thu, 20 Nov 2014 09:52:59 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=75215 Building on the findings published in the ‘Fifth Assessment Report’ by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has released a report showing clearly that in order to limit global temperature rise to 2°C and the subsequent environmental impacts, global carbon neutrality must be attained by mid-to-late century. According to UNEP, global

Global Carbon Neutrality Should Be Reached By Mid-To-Late Century was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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